New Zealand's South Island has many crops:apples, hops, grapes and corn. Their flowers are colorful and plenty. Years ago, we heard from Jeri & Craig's Mom that there are many Deer Farms with high walls of shrubs keeping them in, we've passed one so far but didn't catch a pic.
We left the Ocean View Chalets driving south from Marahau to Kaikouri. On our South Island drive we enjoyed the expansive views of the East Coast shoreline of the Pacific Ocean. We stopped as often as our driver (Craig) and our navigator (Doug) would allow. There are many Scenic Lookouts. Luckily, one we chose, offered us fun entertainment of a large Seal colony. Seals of all ages and sizes were sunning themselves on the rocks and the young ones were playing in and out of the water.
Our first stop for the day, was in the town of Nelson where we brunched @ The Sweet As Cafe. The GPS was announcing towns along the way and one of them was Whakatu which in NZ is pronounced "Fuckatoo" which never ceased to make us all laugh each time it was mentioned. We are easily entertained. Next stop was Blenheim where we visited a Marlborough Winery to taste and buy. We drove through wine country first then an area famous for Crayfish which we heard was NZ's lobster.
Kaikouri was our stop for the night @ The White Morph across from the beach on the Pacific. We girls walked into town and shopped. Then we met the guys @ The Strawberry Tree. We felt very lucky when we scored the last 3 Crayfish available yet our excitement quickly faded when we tasted our dinners. Crayfish are not as good as Lobster or Crab and are quite expensive even with the exchange rate: $125NZ/crayfish.
The next morning, we took a nice stroll along the beach which wasn't sand but small black stones. The water was pretty and we watched for whales but sadly, did not see any.
We stopped for brunch in town @ the Why Not Cafe-Jeri had read about the place in a book. We then continued to drive south and stopped @ Port Robinson for a tramp on the Manuka Bay Hurunui Coastal Track. It started alongside a black sand beach and then ascended to a steep 4.8K forested trail which awarded us beautiful views from the top. Driving further south, we arrived at downtown Christchurch, our stop for the night. We had reservations at Sudima Hotel, which was only 4 years old and very cool. There were many amenities in our rooms: pens, slippers, q-tips, makeup remover, pads, shower bursts and milk of course.
After showering and regrouping, we all walked along a winding river, crossing bridges, and traversing parks plus passing some modern buildings and restored historical ones too. The architecture of the buildings and bridges was intricate and beautiful. We came across a pretty square with restaurants & Al fresco dining and a fun Tram to watch. We chose The Original Sin Restaurant which featured paintings of Adam & Eve. The routine here in NZ is when it's time to pay our bill, we just walk over to the cash register either at the bar or the hostess stand and tell them what we each had to eat. They are aware of the total that the table consumed so whoever goes last, has to pay for whatever is left. If it works correctly, it should be what that couple ate but when J&J went first, at this restaurant, they failed to remember all that they had eaten, so C&C had to pick up some of their tab. We took a different walking route on our way back to the hotel and passed a Casino-well we didn't pass it-with Cheryl you never pass a Casino. J&J went on ahead and we went in with C&C but quickly left them there. The machines are different down under-they are very quiet, and most people don't drink or smoke. 
In the morning, breakfast was included with our stay so we enjoyed a nice meal before getting on our way. We checked out and headed towards Mt. Cook.
In the morning, breakfast was included with our stay so we enjoyed a nice meal before getting on our way. We checked out and headed towards Mt. Cook.
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